Full pack dispensing of valproate-containing medicines
Written by AlisonFreemantle on Friday 13th October 2023
From October 2023
Changes have now been made to the Human Medicines Regulations 2023 which provides new rules requiring pharmacists to dispense all licensed medicines containing valproate in the manufacturer’s original full pack.
When dispensing valproate products, pharmacies must supply the product as a complete pack. This will require you to round up or down the quantity prescribed to ensure the patient receives their medicine in the manufacturer’s original packaging. Valproate-containing medicines must not be repackaged in plain dispensing packaging.
Pharmacies do not need to endorse the prescription, you will automatically be paid for the relevant number of complete packs.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published new guidance for dispensers to support this change.
For more information including reimbursement and FAQs read the CPE news article: All valproate-containing products reclassified as special containers from October 2023
The special container criteria outlined in Part II Clause 10B of the October 2023 Drug Tariff has been updated accordingly.
Please note: pharmacists can still make an exception to supply complete packs of medicines containing valproate, based on an individual patient risk assessment to assess the need for a patient to be supplied the medicine in different packaging (for example in a monitored dosage system) and provided processes are in place to ensure a PIL is supplied to the patient.